 The World Forum on The Future of Sport Shooting ActivitiesWFSA News and InformationSeptember 2007 Latest NewsSeptember 13, 2007US school takes guns from cartoon mascotA school in Virginia, USA, has specifically disarmed a cartoon-character buccaneer who served as its mascot, holding two antique flintlock pistols. The logo was redesigned. The principal, Haywood Hand, said he believes it hypocritical to display a caricature of a pirate holding guns, on the grounds that the school itself has a total ban on guns. An article in the Roanoke Times of Virginia (link to Roanoke Times) pointed out the inconsistency of this when it is considered that other items such as swords and lances, to say nothing of dogs, are banned from schools, but yet appear in many school logos. In a similar case in California, a school has insisted that fifth-grade children should remove any tiny firearms from the hands of toy soldiers placed in their graduation caps. The school has a tradition of children decorating their formal headwear with representations of the kind of work they hope to secure on leaving school at some time in the future. A representative of the National Rifle Association called the move "ludicrous", and the school principal refused to comment. September 13, 2007United Nations Report on illicit arms brokersThe United Nations General Assembly on September 18 is set to hear a 26-page report describing the use of false documents including end-user certificates in the transfer of illegal arms. Such transfers are carried out by illegal brokers, in disregard of United Nations Security Council arms embargoes. They involve, according to the report, "opaque financial transfers". In recent times, such brokers have succeeded in transferring small arms into numerous African troublespots including Sudan. Sri Lankan Ambassador Prasad Kariyawasam presided over the 2006 Small Arms and Light Weapons Programme of Action meeting. Interviewed by the Inter Press News Service, he is quoted as saying that arms embargoes fail to address the supply side of the transfers, focusing instead only on the demand side. The Ambassador stressed that "the legal trade or legal possession of small arms is not the problem. The problem is the illicit trade and illegal supply." To combat this effectively, the cooperation of supplying countries must be sought and won. However, he also said that the matter of civilian possession of firearms remains "unfinished business" from the 2006 Program of Action. September 2, 2007Ammunition leaks in UgandaThe Ugandan Daily Monitor has released an article commenting on the illegal supply of ammunition by government forces to unauthorized parties. The 2007 Small Arms Survey indicates that the trade in ammunition is well in place through the army. It also says there are no clear links suggesting it is carried out at institutional levels, but instead is the work of individuals. Further suggestions have been made about the equally illegal transfer of military arms from state forces to non-state parties. The army has agreed that that this has been the case in the past, but issued strong denials to the effect that these practices still continue. http://www.monitor.co.ug/news/news08317.php Disclaimer: Posting of an article on the WFSA website does not constitute an endorsement by the WFSA of any view, policy position, statement or averred fact contained within the article. Articles are made available for informational purposes only. |
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